Photo: Jeffrey Beall · CC BY 4.0On FEMA’s figures, The Pinery faces more hazard damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, mostly from river and rain flooding
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Pinery gets a C− for hazard risk: higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns, #124 of 159 in Colorado. Most of that expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%), then wildfire (17%). FEMA’s files show no paid flood insurance claims here.
Graded on FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value (NRI v1.20, December 2025), weighted by where residents live; flood claims are shown, not graded. How hazard risk is graded
What The Pinery faces
Each hazard’s share of the building damage FEMA expects here, and how its rate compares with the rest of the country.
River and rain flooding
Wildfire
Hail
Tornadoes
Shares are of FEMA’s expected building damage, the measure the grade uses; ranks compare each hazard’s building-damage rate with all 85,154 U.S. census tracts. In FEMA’s terms, river and rain flooding is FEMA’s “Inland Flooding” (rivers and streams overflowing their banks, or rain overwhelming drainage). FEMA defines coastal flooding as high or rising tides and storm surge, so surge damage is counted there. Drought isn’t listed: FEMA counts its losses in crops only.
What’s behind The Pinery’s grade
River and rain flooding is 65% of the building damage FEMA expects in The Pinery, and The Pinery’s rate of river and rain flooding damage is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts. Wildfire adds 17%, at a rate in the top 3% of U.S. census tracts.
C− #124 of 159 in Colorado; higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns (21,298).
The Pinery’s residents live in 4 census tracts; FEMA’s figures are combined by where they live.
The typical Colorado town has higher expected damage than 56% of U.S. towns; within the state, The Pinery has more expected damage per building than 78% of Colorado towns.
In dollars, FEMA expects about $5.2M a year in losses across The Pinery: $4.5M to buildings, the rest to people and crops.
Does The Pinery flood? No paid flood claims on record
FEMA’s records show no paid flood insurance claims in The Pinery. That’s not a promise: most homes don’t carry flood insurance, so small floods go unrecorded.
The Pinery isn’t in FEMA’s Community Rating System, which cuts flood insurance up to 45% in towns that do extra flood-proofing.
Insurance rates: Douglas County.The storms The Pinery remembers
None of the 8 disasters declared for Douglas County shows FEMA aid or repair money reaching The Pinery itself in FEMA’s records, so these are its biggest flood-claim years.
Douglas County has had 8 natural disasters declared by the President since 1953, most often floods, then severe storms. Not counted: the 2005 Hurricane Katrina evacuee emergency, which covered counties that took in evacuees.
Also 2 FEMA wildfire suppression grants (Fire Management Assistance, not a disaster declaration) for fires in Douglas County, 2002–2003.
The Pinery and its neighbors
The Pinery is 2nd of the 2 graded towns here, from least expected damage per building to most. Tap a town to see its hazards.
| Town | Hazard risk | Mostly (buildings) | Flood claims |
|---|---|---|---|
| Castle Rock | C+more damage than 59% | river and rain flooding | 3 |
| The Pinery | C−more damage than 79% | river and rain flooding | 0 |
Hazard risk = FEMA’s expected yearly building damage per dollar of building value, vs. the 21,298 U.S. towns we grade; the map is shaded by fifths of the same scale. Flood claims = paid federal flood insurance claims on record.
Get ready for what The Pinery faces
A short kit for the hazards that drive the building damage here, what to check before you buy, and where neighbors get alerts.
- Turn around at flooded roads: a foot of moving water can carry off a car.
- Flood insurance usually takes 30 days to start, so buy it before the forecast.
- Keep papers and medicines up high, in a grab-and-go bag.
- Clear dead leaves and brush within 5 feet of the house.
- Sign up for local alerts and know two ways out.
- Keep N95 masks for smoky days.
- Park in a garage or under cover when storms are forecast.
- Stay away from windows while it falls.
- Photograph roof and car damage for your insurer.
- Pick your spot now: the lowest floor, an inside room, no windows.
- A watch means be ready; a warning means take cover now.
- Keep shoes and a flashlight by the bed.
- Look up the address on FEMA’s flood map.
- Ask the seller or landlord whether it has ever flooded, and what flood insurance costs there.
- Get a flood insurance quote early: policies usually start 30 days after you buy.
Know where neighbors sign up for alerts? Add it to the Handbook so everyone has it.
Questions about natural hazards in The Pinery
Is The Pinery at risk for natural disasters?
On FEMA’s National Risk Index, The Pinery has higher expected damage per building than 79% of U.S. towns: C− for hazard risk, #124 of 159 in Colorado. Most of the expected damage is river and rain flooding (65%) and wildfire (17%). This is FEMA’s model of an average year for today’s buildings, not a forecast.
Is The Pinery in a flood zone?
Flood zones are drawn street by street, so the answer depends on the address: look it up on FEMA’s flood map. In Douglas County, 20% of homes in mapped flood zones carry federal flood insurance, and 0.3% of all homes do.
How much is flood insurance in The Pinery?
FEMA’s Community Rating System list shows no discount for The Pinery’s flood program. Premiums depend on the building; policies usually start 30 days after you buy, so get a quote early.
Is The Pinery at risk from river and rain flooding?
It is the largest share of the building damage FEMA expects here (65%), and The Pinery’s rate for it is higher than 76% of U.S. census tracts.
Storm stories
Memories, warnings and help from neighbors in The Pinery.
Sources: FEMA National Risk Index v1.20 (December 2025), census-tract table, combined by where The Pinery’s residents lived in the 2020 census; OpenFEMA: NFIP redacted claims, multiple-loss properties, community status book and residential penetration rates, housing assistance (owners and renters), public assistance funded projects, hazard mitigation properties and disaster declarations. Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. Preparedness tips: Ready.gov. FEMA’s model is an average of expected damage, not a forecast. How hazard risk is graded.